Now a sleepy agricultural town just off the SS729, Ardara was once the capital of the Giudicato di Torres, the medieval state that encompassed much of northwestern Sardinia. Little survives from this golden period except for this brooding church at the edge of town. Consecrated in 1107, it features a sober grey-basalt exterior and a surprisingly rich columned interior focused on an impressive 16th-century retable depicting episodes from the lives of Jesus, Mary and various prophets.
Chiesa di Santa Maria del Regno
Northwestern Sardinia
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
26.61 MILES
Alghero's golden sea walls, built around the centro storico by the Aragonese in the 16th century, are a highlight of the town's historic cityscape…
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Museo Etnografico ‘Olivia Carta Cannas’
24.9 MILES
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26.51 MILES
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Nearby Northwestern Sardinia attractions
1. Chiesa di Sant’Antioco di Bisarcio
4.55 MILES
Signposted off the main Sassari–Olbia highway, the remote Chiesa di Sant’Antioco di Bisarcio is one of the largest Romanesque churches in Sardinia. Dating…
2. Basilica della Santissima Trinità di Saccargia
7.13 MILES
About 18km southeast of Sassari on the SS729, this is the most visually striking of the isolated Romanesque churches that spring up across the territory…
3. Basilica di San Pietro di Sorres
7.87 MILES
This 12th-century Romanesque church commands impressive views from its hillside position overlooking Borutta. The original Pisan church and adjacent abbey…
4. Museo della Valle dei Nuraghi
7.95 MILES
In Torralba, this small museum has a scale model of the Nuraghe Santu Antine and a modest collection of finds lifted from the site. Note that at the time…
8.52 MILES
To the south of Mores, the mighty Dolmen Sa Coveccada is said to be the largest dolmen (a megalithic chambered tomb) in the Mediterranean. Dating to the…
9.73 MILES
One of the largest nuraghic sites in Sardinia, the Nuraghe Santu Antine sits 4km south of Torralba. The complex is focused on a central tower, which now…
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Much modified over the centuries, Ozieri’s neoclassical Cattedrale dell’Immacolata harbours an important work of art, the Deposizione di Cristo dalla…
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Investigate Ozieri's rich archaeological legacy at the wonderful Museo Archeologico. Housed in the 18th-century Convento Clarisse, it has a small but rich…